Written by Professor Stefan Wolff. Al-Qaeda's most active and notorious branch – the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – has claimed responsibility for the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. While some questions remain about the full credibility of the claim, it is not entirely implausible: it's been established that some of the attackers had been trained in Yemen, and at least one of them had met AQAP's former chief ideologue, Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born jihadist killed in a US drone strike in 2011.

Written by Professor Stefan Wolff. The deadly attack on a bus carrying civilians near Donetsk, killing at least 12 of them and wounding many more, comes in the wake of yet another round of failed talks among the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France. It also follows a pattern of persistent violence between rebels and government forces that has made a mockery of a ceasefire agreement brokered between the two sides back in September 2014.

The European Association of Biblical Studies Annual Meeting for 2015 will include a new workshop session on Textual Criticism of the New Testament, the Old Testament and the Qur'an convened by ITSEE postgraduate student, Theodora Panella.

The University of Birmingham has been ranked 79th overall in the definitive list of Britain's most gay-friendly workplaces. Birmingham's position in the Stonewall Top 100 Employers 2015 sees an impressive rise of 180 places from last year, reflecting the University's ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive workplace.

Early in December 2014 the International Olympic Committee [IOC] President Thomas Bach led the organisation into a self-proclaimed new era for the movement. Bach has pushed through the Agenda 2020 document setting his reputation against its adoption.